Why Daddy Will Be Your Favorite

As difficult as it is for me to concede defeat in anything (of which my husband has become painfully aware over the years, haha), I reluctantly admitted today that our future child is going to like his/her Daddy more than me. Happy Birthday to my amazing husband.

Why Daddy will be your favorite:

1. He gets giddy whenever we talk about you in a way I’ve never seen him get giddy about anything before. He already talks about the things he want to teach you, places he want to bring you to, games he want to play with you — and you aren’t even here yet!

2. He doesn’t care what anyone thinks of him. Stress doesn’t phase him. He doesn’t yell. He never lets negative emotions or insecurities get the best of him. His priorities are 100% sorted out, and you’re at the top of the list.

3. He is just plain fun. He’s just plain funny. He’s going to have you laughing even when you think you should be embarrassed by him. He’s going to make you laugh whether you want to or not. I have lots of personal experience with this one.

4. He provides for us. He works hard, he’s good at what he does, and he’s generous with his money. He’ll buy you that extra scoop of ice cream whenever you want it, and will most likely start saving up for your college education even before you learn how to talk. I feel so confident that you will not be deprived of anything due to lack of finances, and someday when you’re old enough, you’ll appreciate this just as much as I do.

5. He won’t hold his breath at any chance of you hurting yourself. He’ll let you do crazy things that I would probably never let you do, and he won’t flap his hands screeching, “be careful be careful be careful!!!” like I probably will. But I will dress you better, keep in mind!

6. He’s a man of God who is wholeheartedly after what God is after. He prays for you everyday already and absolutely cannot wait to teach you the reason why we pray someday.

7. He will happily buy you the toys that you want, being a toy lover himself. This will probably be an issue someday, because I’m a books-over-toys kind of mom. I’m sure this will be reason enough for you to think that your Dad is the coolest guy on earth. And honestly, I wouldn’t disagree with you.

8. He has a wide collection of Walt Disney movies and is already excited to watch them with you. He’s also already very excited to read stories to you while doing all the voices and actions. He’s a very animated storyteller, which makes him an awesome one. Secretly, this kind of stuff is the reason why he’s MY favorite too.

Why you’ll still love Mommy a lot:

1. I picked him for us :)

New Rules

Since the day we found out that I'm pregnant, my husband has been super protective of me, to the point of being OA (Hahaha! Peace, my love!!!) -- but adorably so! I totally understand where he's coming from. We have prayed for this baby for a long time, and of course, my husband wants to make sure that we are both doing everything that we can to have a happy, safe, and healthy pregnancy.

Last month, just a week after we found out about my pregnancy, we had a problem with our kitchen drainage which caused leakage on our kitchen floor. I found this note in the middle of the night when I got up to pee. My sweet husband just had to remind me to be cautious in walking to the bathroom. On a separate note, I was delighted to see his cursive handwriting for the first time. Hehehehe :)

And so, here are the new rules imposed by my husband, the soon-to-be strict Dad :)

1. When going to the bathroom, always bring my phone with me. (Because, you know, just in case I slip or see a cockroach, I can call him for help. No need to scream for the whole neighborhood to hear.)
2. When using the stairs, always hold on to the hand rail -- even if it's probably full of germs and bacteria. Which brings me to the next point...
3. Spray isopropyl alcohol all over my hands after holding on to hand rails.
4. Use a mask in crowded places so I won't catch any kind of virus. 
5. When alighting from the MRT, don't join the crowd in rushing into the escalator. Wait until the crowd subsides. 

I think my husband is so cute for being so strict like this. When he knows I'm on my way home, he'd ask for a selfie just to make sure that I have my mask on while on the bus or train. The past couple of months made me appreciate my husband even more. I feel so blessed and thankful for having such a loving, caring, and protective partner in life. If his actions now are any indication of the kind of father he will become, then I can confidently say that our kids are very lucky. THANK YOU LORD!

Kitchen Adventures

Our close friends and family know for a fact that in this marriage, it is E who (mostly) takes care of the cooking. I am the self-appointed dish-washer because, well, they say teamwork is key to a lasting marriage. ;-) But you know, I can actually make super delicious scrambled eggs (husband-approved!). Just putting it out there so you won't think I'm completely useless in the kitchen, haha.

Being able to wake up to freshly-prepared meals during weekends makes me immensely thankful to the Lord for blessing me with my husband. I mean, stereotypically speaking, it is usually the women who toil away in the kitchen. And yet I've got this guy who lovingly does it for me. It's one of his ways to treat me like a queen :) One day, while enjoying this act of service from my husband, I thought I also want him to feel the way he makes me feel. From there, I made it a personal goal to learn yummy (and healthy!) dishes that my husband could enjoy. Thanks to Pinterest and my kitchen diva friends, I can now proudly say that I can cook. Photographic proof below (I know I've been successful because my husband requests me to cook some of the dishes again haha):

Angel hair pasta with tuyo and spinach. I used gourmet tuyo (in a bottle) and lots and lots of garlic for this.

Baked honey soy chicken. This one's from Pinterest. I love how flavorful this dish is. It's fairly easy to make too. We ate it as a salad topping, although I can imagine how good it would be if paired with white steamed rice.

Pork steak. I had to ask my dear inay Miles for her recipe because E and I tasted her version one time and we absolutely loved it. I tried my best to follow her recipe to the T coz I was so scared to screw it up. E had three (3!!!!) cups of rice, so I guess it's safe to say that my version was a success :)

Three-cheese fusilli pasta. Okay, this one's a bit of a rip-off because I used ready-made Prego pasta sauce for this. BUT I added garlic, mushrooms, and SPAM cubes into it. Hehehe, am I a good cook or what??? Lol.

Chicken adobo. I used Cat Juan's recipe for this. It's my second attempt to replicate that recipe. I used pork in the first one (it's THE BEST, I swear). Unfortunately, it did not taste as good when I used chicken. Though the husband said it's still delicious.

Chicken spinach. Chicken breast fillet cubes cooked in garlic and butter, plus spinach. Easy peasy dish that can be cooked in less than 30 minutes. 

Roasted broccoli and cauliflower. I'm not particularly a fan of both vegetables, but I when I tried roasting it (drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with salt, pepper and parmesan cheese), it magically turned into something I can eat everyday. E loves this so much too! The most tedious part is chopping the vegetables into florets. Roasting time is 30-45 minutes. A bit time-consuming, but totally worth it.

Okay, this one is not exactly a dish. It's the breakfast spread I prepared for the husband on Valentine's Day -- toasted bread with sharp cheddar, scrambled eggs, tomato + agurula, bananas, and our favorite Oldtown Hazelnut coffee. I prepared all these while E was still asleep. He was smiling from ear to ear when he woke up and saw this on the dining table. I love surprising him! I need to up my game for the next surprise :)

I wish to be able to add more to this growing 'portfolio' because nothing makes me happier than seeing my husband's eyes light up in delight because of something I did for him. I know that to him, the taste doesn't matter as much as the love and effort that I put into it :)

Valentine's Day

Some people say that Valentine's Day is a pointless occasion because love is meant to be celebrated everyday. I don't agree nor disagree to it simply because I never really questioned why this particular day seems to be a big deal. When I was in primary school, I remember every corner of our classroom would be filled with heart-shaped cut-outs from red and pink colored paper. It's cute and tacky at the same time, lol. In high school, my friends and I would exchange little love notes and paper flowers. I love how these little gestures make a big impact in celebrating love.

This is the fourth year in a row that I get to celebrate Valentine's Day with E; our second as husband and wife. We decided to go to Chinatown to see the lanterns and Chinese New Year decorations. I didn't expect it to be packed with THAT many people. I should have known -- it's the weekend before Chinese New Year, and the queue for Lim Chee Guan bak kwa is craaazy.

Here are some shameless selfies! :D

After joining the crowd in Chinatown, we headed to Clarke Quay. We had quick dinner, then we spent hours having heart-to-heart talk by the river while eating our favorite Ben and Jerry's ice cream. We exchanged love letters, which we read right there next to each other. Can you imagine how cheesy the moment was? Well, it's Valentine's Day, cheesiness levels are expected to be amplified. :P

Highlight of our Valentine's Day: eating our favorite ice cream by the river while reading our love letters to each other. ❤️ @erick_starr #clarkequay #benandjerrys

A photo posted by Gela Azaña-Labiano (@misislabs) on Feb 14, 2015 at 9:15pm PST

Our all-time favorite ice cream, Ben & Jerry's Salted Caramel Core :) Yuuuum!

The pavement by the river was filled with other couples, just as we expected. Thankfully we found a spot that was not too crowded.

Here's a screenshot of my husband's post in Instagram. It made me crazy kilig, so I thought I'd post it here :)

The letter I wrote for E contained 100 reasons why I love him. It was probably the cheesiest thing I've ever written, but I truly meant every single word. My hands ached while writing that 4-page letter, but it was all worth it when I saw happy tears streaming down his face while reading it.  :)

People-watching was more fun and interesting on V-Day. Seeing all those women walking around with one hand holding a bouquet of flowers and the other clasped with the hand of her special someone was so heartwarming. Then there's this young couple wearing matching shirts. The guy looked like he was just forced to wear it! It's sweet that he still wore it (even if it probably felt awkward for him), just to make his girl happy. Love really does make you do things you never imagined you'd do. :D

Yes, Valentine's Day is a big deal to me. I'd say that this day is worth all the fuzz and hype that comes with it. I'm just so grateful that there's this one day in a year where love is on full display among people from all walks of life. It's so inspiring to see people go the extra mile just to make loved ones feel special. It makes the world a wonderful place to live in.

Thank you for making me soooo happy everyday :)

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! Hope you spent the day with family and loved ones. :)

Thoughts while on board Bus 88

It dawned on me during my prayer time this morning that I ask for a lot of things from God. Ironically, at the end of the day, I don’t really feel that I’m lacking anything in my life. Although of course it would be nice to have our own house, a car, a successful business, and our very own baby — I honestly feel that I’ve got everything I need to live a happy life. It took me years of angst and push and pull with my faith before I got to this state. To experience how it is to be truly content with what I have. I learned over the years that having the proper mindset plays a huge part. I’ve probably heard hundreds of times from my daily devotionals that we must focus on what we have, not on what we don’t have. It is by doing so that we are able to cultivate the attitude of gratitude in our lives. My life is not perfect, but it’s pretty great. I realized that my husband, my family, and my God are all I’ll ever really need.

—–

Last night, my husband and I ate out for dinner. We went to Manhattan Fish Market at Junction8 mall. We had home-cooked meals for the past 4 days so we decided to eat out for a change. I’m not going to talk about the food because I have nothing nice to say about it. But I will mention how much I appreciated the staff who served us. She was warm and friendly the moment we stepped into the store, and she made sure that we were comfortable. She was too nice, that I didn’t have the heart to give a negative feedback when she asked how our food was. I’m writing about this because it’s such a rare occurrence here.

—–

One thing I am most thankful for is being able to witness how my husband is growing in his faith in the Lord. These are some of our conversations these past few days that are evident to that.

Conversation #1:

me: Waah ang lakas ng ulan! Kainis naman, kung kelan pauwi na.
E: Nag pray na ‘ko kay God, titila din ‘yan bago ka umalis diyan sa office mo.
me: Eh 30 minutes na lang aalis na ako, sobrang lakas pa rin.
E: Titila ‘yan.  

True enough, the rain stopped just before I left the office. I was amazed because it was raining so hard just a few minutes back. My husband seemed 100% sure when he said that the rain will stop. And it did. I doubted, but I was proven wrong. I find it reassuring to have a husband with such strong faith in God — both in the trivial and life-defining things.

Conversation #2:

E: Baby, hindi binigay yung (salary) increase. Pero ok lang, pinagdasal ko naman na ‘to kay Lord. Baka sa ibang bagay ako i-bless.

When I read the first sentence, I was about to tell my husband to start looking for another job because he deserves a company that would reward him for his hard work. Bitterness was slowly filling up my heart, yet there he was, at peace despite the disappointment. Instead, he stayed positive, claiming that he will surely be blessed in another way. It’s humbling and it made me reflect on how I deal with my unanswered prayers. It reminded me that no matter what happens in my life, God will always know better. After all, He is the Big Guy up there who created us according to His image and likeness; the One who orchestrates every piece of our lives to fall into place.

And what do you know, the increase came the next day! Apparently, E’s boss just forgot about it. What a generous God we have! :) I am so grateful that I am married to someone who I learn soooo much from.

Random Love Burst

Here's something that's a bit too personal, but I decided to share it here anyway because it's just too precious, so much so that it made me cry in the middle of a busy workday (Thank God for my workstation that allows me some privacy, haha). Aside from his wedding vows, this is probably my favorite among E's many declarations of love over the course of our relationship.

I guess what really touched my heart is how random it was, so it really came as a surprise to me. Even though I am showered by my husband's paglalambing on a daily basis, my heart was not prepared to read such a heartfelt no-occasion email from him. You can bet that I've been smiling like a silly girl all day since I read the email :) What made it special is that it's not the typical love letter he usually writes me -- this one's like a story that came full circle with an introduction, a plot, and a conclusion. It's like a condensed version of our connecting-the-dots story. Every time E and I would recall how we were led to each other, we are always left in awe of how God reveals His perfect plans in His perfect time, all because of His perfect love for us. We get to feel this kind of overwhelming love because of Him.

And yes, I am just as happy and content every night before I go to sleep. I love you too with tears of joy, my darling. ♥

Humbled

My husband and I almost got into a huge fight today. We're moving to a new place in two weeks, so we spent our Saturday afternoon sorting and packing some of our stuff. My husband apologized to the prospective tenant for having to view our room while it was in a state of mess. When the guy left, I told my husband that he shouldn't have apologized -- well, we're moving out soon, what can he expect?? A messy room, NATURALLY.

It obviously upset him. I sensed the tension in his tone as he asked what's the point of telling him off, when it clearly wouldn't change anything anymore. It got me so annoyed because I thought it was such a condescending response from him. I expressed that I didn't deserve to be responded to that way because what I said was just so simple and straightforward. He said that he was offended. To which I replied that correcting him was not meant to offend him. And I went on to accuse him of having double standards because he has corrected me in the past, but I never took offense to it. Can you imagine how irked he was at that point? (In hindsight, comparing myself with him was even worse) You see, it's a struggle for my husband to make a rebuttal when he's at the peak of his emotions. He has to be calm and composed to gather his thoughts. Of course, that seems impossible when you're in the moment of dealing with anger. His inability to "counter-attack" immediately would seriously frustrate him, which would lead to a major drama-filled argument. In the contrary, I am always ready with an answer. E says it's like I'm unleashing my inner lawyer/debater whenever we argue. Oops.

I stayed silent and tried to ignore him as he whimpered to himself. I was expecting him to confront me again, so I was sort of 'preparing' in my head. About five minutes later, he called me: "Baby..." in a very calm tone. To my surprise, he asked me to lay down beside him. As much as I was touched by his unexpected mood shift in such a short span of time, I also felt guilty for thinking the worse of him. So I lay down beside him and he just embraced me without saying a word. Two minutes later, he explained why he felt offended earlier. Turns out, my correction was said in a harsh tone. I felt so embarrassed for not even realizing it!  E explained that he was just trying to be polite to the prospective tenant, that's why he apologized. He said that he could have humbly accepted my correction if it was said in a nicer tone.

I felt so bad realizing how careless I was that I've hurt my husband's feelings. I hugged him so tightly and said sorry for my words and actions that were uncalled for. He hugged me back and kissed me on the forehead. Thank You Lord for blessing me with a forgiving husband.

Our little argument could have snowballed into something worse, but my husband chose to initiate a gracious way of settling our misunderstanding -- even if it's not his fault. I WAS DEEPLY HUMBLED. This experience taught me these things:

1. Do not assume the worst of your partner. He/She deserves to be given the benefit of the doubt. Remember, loving a person means always having his/her best interests at heart.

2. The way you say something makes all the difference. I think the quote below best explains this.

3. You can initiate to make amends even if you are not at fault. Being able to do this is a sign of humility and maturity. It also says a lot about just how much you love your partner, giving more importance to your relationship than your hurt feelings.

4. It is important in a marriage to be good forgivers. I pray to have a heart that is always willing to ask for forgiveness, as well as to forgive. Whenever I struggle in this area, I think about Jesus and how many times He has forgiven us despite committing the same sins over and over again. If Jesus can forgive THAT much -- considering that He took our place on the cross and saved us from our sins -- then why can't we, more so the person we love most?

Compromise

One of the most important things that I've learned in marriage is the power of COMPROMISE. My husband and I, despite our many similarities, do not always want the same things. This is where compromise needs to come in. One of us has to "give way" to the other. Sometimes "meeting halfway" could also be a good idea. The bottomline is, we have to have a mutual agreement so that we're both happy.

The message exchange below shows how my husband and I compromised with each other recently.

As you can see, compromise may involve bargaining sometimes. Hahaha!!

Sorry if it's a shallow example, but i'm sure you get the point :)

P.S. Please ignore the fact that my husband loves Sam and Cat. This is the man I fell in love with -- don't judge. :P

The One Where I'm a Charlotte

A few days ago, I chanced upon Sex and the City the movie on HBO. I remember one of my girl friends remarked that I’m “such a Charlotte”, as we compared our mannerisms to that of the characters’.

Samantha: Relationships aren’t just about being happy. I mean, how often are you happy in your relationship?
Charlotte: Every day.
Samantha: Every day?
Charlotte: Well, not all day every day – but yes, every day.

I loved that quote. I think she described my relationship perfectly. Sometimes I get easily upset at something my husband said or did, and we may fight over the most stupid things. But those moments are just bits and pieces, few and far between. I am genuinely happy (happiest) when I’m with him. Every day. Not all day, every day, but definitely every day.

There was another scene where she’s in bed with Harry after a long day of hearing about everyone else’s failed relationships. She looks at him and says something to the effect of, “Thank you for being you.” Simple, sweet, and totally melted my heart.

At another point in the movie, she has one of her little freak-outs, and talks about how there’s no way things could go so well for one person, and she’s just waiting for something terrible to happen. This same thing lurks at the back of my mind sometimes. My life has had its ups and downs, but for the most part, it’s been so easy, so amazing, and things have just fallen into place. Despite whatever impending terribleness that may lie ahead, the kind of life where you’re able to think ‘there’s no way things can go so well’ is one that I’m quite blessed to be living.

I am now embracing my inner Charlotte, and it felt really good to just step back and realize how beautiful things are, how incredible my life has been, how blessed I am. I hope to never take this for granted.

Grace Under Stress

This morning, as early as 6:15 AM, I’ve been receiving updates from the IRIS (transpo) app on my phone that there’s a train fault in the North East line. What a bummer, because this is my daily route. It’s only my first week in my new job and I certainly don’t want to be late. Naturally, I hurried up, anticipating the possible delay. We left the house fifteen minutes earlier than usual, so I was thinking I could probably still reach the office by 8:30. E and I walked to the bus stop right across our block, and thankfully there’s bus 43 that could bring us to Serangoon station. One-north is the nearest station to my office, and it’s just a straight 25-minute train ride from Serangoon. It all sounded great in my head, until bus 43 arrived — super packed, with literally no room even for one additional passenger. There were shuttle buses available, but those were filled to the brim as well. Anxiety and stress kicked in sooner than I wanted to. How dyahe to be late on my first week at work. I reminded myself that this is a situation that is beyond my control, so stressing over it is absolutely useless.

Fifteen minutes later, another bus 43 came, and this time it could fit in the passengers waiting at our bus stop. Hallelujah!!! But why are we moving at such a slooowwww speed? Is that a traffic jam building up?? What happened to the very systematic and efficient transportation system that this country is known for? UGHHHH. At this point, it felt like the universe was conspiring against me. OA and exagg, yes, but it seriously got me so stressed! :( Thank heavens, my husband — my stress-reliever, the voice of reason in my life — was with me. He told me to calm down and just pray. It sure is easier said than done. But the fact is, worrying and stressing out wouldn’t change anything.

So what’s the best thing to do in a time like this? I chose to look at the brighter side. I thanked God for the good weather. Imagine if there was a heavy downpour while people are walking to the nearest MRT station that is not affected by the power outage. Oh my, it would have definitely sucked so bad. I thanked God that there’s a bus stop just across our HDB, and that there’s bus 43 (going to Serangoon MRT) there. Otherwise, we would have been one of those people who had to take a loooong walk under the scorching heat of the sun. I thanked God that even if we were stuck in traffic, at least we were sitting comfortably inside the air-conditioned bus. I could just imagine how BUGNOT I would have been! Hahaha! I thanked God for the IRIS app, otherwise I would have taken my sweet time preparing, had I not known beforehand that there was a train fault, and I would have been even more late than I already was. And of course, I thanked God for my handsome (among other adjectives I could use to describe him, haha) husband who soooo patiently dealt with me and my ridiculous stress levels! Praise God for you, my love!

I reached the office at 8:45. Fifteen minutes late. And I walked into an EMPTY office. Hah! So I was actually stressing out over NOTHING! Hahaha. What I am most grateful for is the grace that enabled me to see brighter side of things, despite the (unreasonable) stress and anxiousness. :)

Spontaneous Reassurance

Hello! Sneaking in a quick post before I go to bed because what happened today is something that I must put into writing; something I want to remember until I’m old and gray.

I was having a lovely morning — had home-cooked brunch, then watched a couple of 2 Broke Girls episodes with the husband. I decided to make my Saturday a productive one by doing some office work. Wrong decision. It was all good, until I read an email that put me into such a bad mood. Now, this is not my ‘normal’ bad mood wherein I just keep quiet while waiting for the negative air to disappear. I was pounding on my keyboard as I crafted my response. Our housemates would have assumed that E and I were having a fight, judging my loud, angry voice as I told him about the mood-ruining email.

In an attempt to calm me down, my wonderful husband rubbed my back. In normal circumstances, his back rubs work magically in making my stress go away. Today, however, it didn’t. I can feel that he’s uneasy, and I understand how it can be frustrating for him when he can’t do anything to make me feel better in that moment. Yes, he’s the kind of guy whose goal is to make his wife happy at every chance he gets. He must have taken the mantra “Happy wife, happy life” a bit too seriously :D

At one point, he just kept quiet while I continued typing away on my laptop. Then, an all too familiar song started playing in the background. It’s OUR song. The song he played in his guitar when he proposed to me. When I turned my back, I saw him looking at me, smiling oh so adorably. “Do you recognize the song?”, he asked. OF COURSE. How can I not? Less than a minute into the song, my eyes were welling up with tears. Memories of the day he asked me to marry him came flashing in my mind. It’s impossible to stay angry when I was brought back to that day in my life where I have experienced joy in its purest form.

He sat beside me and gave me the most loving embrace. “I hope this will make you feel better. Smile ka na.” My heart melted. The outrage I was feeling earlier was instantly replaced with love, joy, and gratefulness. Oh, my sweet loving husband.

As much as we love and appreciate life-changing milestones, I guess the little things like this one is what really makes for a strong, solid foundation. The way he handled me at my ‘worst’ today says a lot about how he would manage when we are faced with more serious circumstances in our marriage. I am very, VERY grateful for this reassurance.

Okay, that’s it for today’s dose of cheese. Thank you for bearing with me. Haha, I should have warned you guys earlier on. Enjoy the rest of the weekend!! :)

Today's Dose of Cheese

You can be assured that your husband loves you when you tell him about your new email address and he reacts like this…

Real men are not afraid to express their kilig :D

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! May you all find real love — ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, can’t-live-without-each-other love (channeling Carrie Bradshaw, haha).

BEST DAY EVER

It’s been two and a half months since Erick and I got married, and it still gives me unspeakable joy every time memories of that beautiful day pop up in my head, or whenever it is brought up in random conversations with friends. Sometimes it still feels surreal – I can’t believe THE day we’ve been waiting for so long already happened. It felt like dream. Please allow me to recount my favorite moments of that day — memories that I will definitely carry in my heart forever, those that I will look back to whenever I need something to make me smile, those that I will praise and thank the Lord for every single day of my life.

1.) Seeing my Mom and Dad waiting for me in the middle of the aisle as I was about to enter the church; my Dad trying to hold back his tears with all his might as they walked me to the altar.

Ever since we announced our engagement, my relatives have been joking “babaha ng luha sa simbahan”, because everyone in the family knows how emotional my Dad can be. A few days before the wedding, he gave me a really tight hug and said that he’s still ‘in denial’ that his panganay is getting married. Awwww *tear here*

Notice the pursed lips? Apparently, that was my Dad’s technique to keep his tears at bay. Hehehe. Ang hirap pala magpigil ng iyak! I love my Dad!

2.) Speeches of our fathers (this was the part where Erick and I were welcomed to each other’s families)

Some of our suppliers texted me after our wedding na naiyak sila sa part na ‘to. I will never forget when Daddy Benjie (Erick’s Dad) told everyone that I am the greatest gift given to their family. In my mind, I was thinking: “Wow, ‘greatest’. Big word. Am I worthy?” Nevertheless, it was overwhelmingly touching to receive such kind of affection from my father-in-law. I totally didn’t expect that, so it was such a sweet surprise. More than anything, I am very thankful to have been blessed with parents-in-law who love me like their own.

This was the part where Daddy Benjie said that his wish is for Erick and I to build our very own basketball team. Kaya ganyan ang mga itsura namin sa picture! Hahaha. My Dad’s advice to us was to never get tired of saying ‘I love you’ to each other even if everyone else says ‘Actions speak louder than words’. I agree with you, Dad. I totally agree.

3.) Tears of joy from people closest to our hearts caught on camera

These are just some of them, madami pang hindi naisama dito. Hehehe :D

I was super touched by our bunso (the red-eyed guy in the pic, haha), who apparently cried a lot during the ceremony. He’s usually cool and patawa, and I think this is the first time I’ve seen him cry like THAT. What a heartwarming sight of our bunso getting a little bit too emotional on his ate’s wedding day :)

4.) Papa’s moment with Erick

During the family pictorial at the church, my 94-year-old grandfather was holding on to Erick’s arm and didn’t want to leave the pictorial area even after their turn. He wanted to chat with Erick; he asked him who among the guests are his relatives “so I can tell them that I like you.” (These were Papa’s exact words) It was a really sweet and touching moment. My aunt and grandmother had to literally pry Papa’s hands from Erick’s arm so he can go back to his seat and we can continue with the pictorial.

I love this photo of me and Erick with Papa and Mama. Ang cute ng smile ni Papa! And Mama is very beautiful, as always. A lot of our guests were surprised to know that Papa is 94 and Mama is 87 years old because they look strong and healthy despite their old age. Speaking of Papa — one of the clearest visions I had as I walked down the aisle was of him cheering me on, clapping very excitedly for me :)

5.) The long, tight hug after Father Beleno said “You may now kiss the bride”

…and my husband crying while hugging me. Aaawwwww :) Overjoyed that we’re officially husband and wife. By the way, thank you Ninang Debbie for capturing this moment! I LOVE IT! I will definitely show this to our kids someday.

6.) My walk down the aisle

Nothing quite says “THIS IS IT” as strongly as the last few seconds before the church door opens for the bride. That moment when all eyes were on me as I take the first couple of imperative steps towards the altar, knowing that there’s no more turning back (just for the record, I did NOT think of running away, haha).

Talking to myself (in my head) to wash away the nerves:

“So this is how it feels. I waited my whole life for this moment. I can’t believe it’s finally happening.”

“I think I should walk a bit slower, but I already started with my normal pace. Whatever. Let’s do this.”

“No no no no, I cannot cry. I don’t look pretty when I cry. I don’t want awkward shots of myself on my wedding day.” (when I heard my bridal march song being played so beautifully by our wedding band)

“The aisle is fairly short, but why does this feel like the longest walk ever?”

“Must make it to the altar without tripping on my gown.”

“Must make it to the altar without breaking down. I. CAN. DO. THIS.”

“Oh there he is, my handsome groom. Aww, he’s crying! I. Must. Not. Break. Down.”

These thoughts in my head kept me from turning into a weepy mess before the ceremony started (sayang naman din kasi ang make up diba? Haha). I was actually smiling the whole time! Even I surprised myself, because I was so sure na maiiyak talaga ako. Our super efficient wedding coordinator Ms. Kredin asked me pa kung nagpractice ba daw ako ngumiti. And our other wedding suppliers were telling me that I was such a BUNGISNGIS BRIDE. Hahaha, ang kulet lang! Looking at the pics, ang dami ko ngang bungisngis moments! The best thing about walking down that aisle was it felt like coming home. :)

7. Watching our SDE

I have probably watched a hundred wedding SDEs of people who I don’t even know. I guess it has been my ‘thing’ way back when I was still single. I would watch videos filmed and edited by Bob Nicolas, Jason Magbanua, and Mayad Studios. Each time I’d be amazed at how brilliant they are in capturing moments of utmost love and joy in its purest form. And at the end of each video I’d think to myself: Wow, true love does exist. It made me feel hopeful that someday, in God’s most perfect time, I’d find MY true love too.

I can’t tell you how utterly surreal it felt to be sitting next to my husband, hand in hand while watching OUR VERY OWN wedding SDE. Akalain mo yun, after all those years of swooning and gushing over other people’s SDEs, I finally have my own? And an absolutely beautiful one at that! Thanks to our insanely talented and creative videographers, Zoombox Wedding Videos! Ang daming napaiyak ng video na yun, lol. Nung first month pa lang namin, everyday namin pinapanood yung SDE, ngayon every other day na lang, hahaha. Thank you Zoombox for our amaaazing SDE. Thank you for making it longer than the usual 3-4 minute video, that you had to use 2 songs for it! :)

8. Exchange of vows

Let these actual excerpts from my husband’s vows speak for themselves…

…sabi ko, “Lord sana ipakilala mo na sa akin yung taong mamahalin ko habambuhay.” Pagkatapos ng dasal na ‘yon, ang daming nangyari sa buhay ko na hindi ko naintindihan. At lagi akong napapaisip kung naririnig ba Niya ang mga dasal ko. Lahat ng iyon ay unti unting nagkaroon ng sagot nung nakilala kita. Lahat ng bagay nagbago sa buhay ko. Naayos ako dahil sayo. Ikaw ang naglapit sa akin sa Diyos. At dahil doon, na-realize ko na mula sa umpisa pa lang, sinagot na pala ni Lord ‘yung dasal ko sa Kanya.

Gela, hindi ako mangangako na lagi kang magiging masaya, na lagi kang pro-protektahan at aalagaan, hindi ko kailangan mangako dahil lahat ng ito ay kusa kong gagawin, araw araw. Ako ang magiging best backscratcher mo, best shopping buddy. Kahit pa walong oras ka magsukat ng mga sapatos, kayang-kaya kitang hintayin.

Ako yung magiging kasangga mo, bestfriend, barkada, partner, lover na hinding-hindi ka iiwan kahit kailan sa kahit anong oras. Ikaw yung totoong God’s greatest gift. Mahal na mahal kita.

I can’t quite explain my exact feelings while hearing these words being sworn to me by the man I love the most — in the presence of God, our officiating priest, our godparents, and the people who mean a lot to us. Ang alam ko lang, parang nag-uumapaw yung puso ko sa sobrang pagmamahal at pasasalamat. My family and friends were joking na mukha daw akong teenager na kinikilig habang nagv-vows si Erick. It was a major ‘bungisngis bride’ moment captured on our SDE! Hahaha. On a more serious note, though — for Erick to say in front of everyone that I ‘fixed’ him — I couldn’t help but feel incredibly thankful for being blessed with a husband who never fails to make me feel appreciated and special, privately and publicly at every chance he gets.

I LOVE THESE SHOTS! At ang bungisngis ko pa rin kahit naiiyak na! Hahaha. Thanks to my good friend Ricke for capturing this memory that I want to bottle up for the rest of my life. There’s really nothing like it. BEST FEELING EVER.

Our Ninong Rudy wrote this sweet comment on Facebook:

I feel very thankful whenever one of our friends tells us that our love story inspires them. It reminds me that it’s a privilege to have the kind of love that blesses and inspires others. This is God’s work, and all praise and thanksgiving goes to Him.

The wedding planning journey is another story on its own. It has been such a humbling experience from the get-go. Erick and I are blessed to have worked with wedding suppliers who are not only dedicated and passionate in their craft, but are also genuinely nice and caring people. We are blessed to have been recipients of goodness and generosity of our family and friends. I praise and thank the Lord for all of them.

I’m so glad to have written this long overdue post as I was able to relive the beautiful memories of our wedding day. I know ‘beautiful’ has been an overused word in this post, but I can’t really think of a better word. I can’t contain my joy and gratitude to the Lord for blessing me and my husband with a wedding that turned out much more than what we prayed for. Like what my Dad said, what made our wedding a beautiful and meaningful occasion is the LOVE of the people who celebrated with us, which was truly evident all throughout the occasion. There was overflowing love not only from our guests, but from our suppliers as well.

May we never forget the feeling of that day as it will always bring us back to the core of our love for each other. I wouldn’t say that ours was a fairy tale wedding, but I’m pretty sure that what we had is a million times better because it was REAL and HEARTFELT. Truly, God blesses us with much more than we could ever deserve. The first day of the rest of our lives was perfect in so many ways, and for that, I am eternally grateful.

A Birthday Letter

Dear Erick,

Today, my love, is your 32nd birthday. I get to do something special for you and shower you with gifts and kisses and more. And all this fuss? You’re worth it. Sometimes I don’t think you realize just how deeply loved, how celebrated, how completely and absolutely worth it you are.

You are kind. You are giving and thoughtful and sensitive. Even if you’ll scoff at the mere mention of those things, you always go out of your way for those you love. You will give your last $10 to a friend because, as you would probably say, that’s what friends do. You will exhaust yourself to make the people in your life feel important. You do it because your heart is vast and wide and deep. You think it’s simple, to live your life that way, but everyone who knows you thinks it’s anything but.

You are smart in indescribable ways. If you don’t know something, you take the time to figure it out. You are hardworking and motivated and determined, but you also forgive yourself when your knowledge falls short. You’re modest, yet confident in your abilities. You know exactly who you are and what you’re after, and I admire you so much for that.

You are funny, but not quite as funny as you think. Sometimes when I laugh with you, I’m totally laughing at you. But you know why? Your laugh is my favorite sound on earth. I never tell you how lame your jokes can be because I know as soon as you deliver the punchline, you’re going to double over in laughter. And so I hold my breath. I wait.

And then I fall in love with you again.

And again.

Your love – your faithful and unwavering love – makes me a better person.

This year, we took a leap of faith by deciding to marry each other. Things have been generally amazing and beautiful, but I know there will be days you will no longer find my tantrums – as you always say – cute. There will be days we’d annoy the hell out of each other.

But, on our worst day together, I have never, I will never – not for a minute, not for a second – be without a reason to celebrate your presence in my life. I have never known anyone worth celebrating more than you.

As your wife, and as your very best friend, I will always celebrate you.

Love always,
Gela

A Letter to My Great God

Dear God,

I’ve been staring at this blank page for a good fifteen minutes, trying to think of a BIG WORD worthy and appropriate enough to express my utmost gratitude to You. The thing is, You already know what’s exactly inside the core of my heart. You know exactly my thoughts and feelings even before I begin to say it out loud. For this reason alone, I am incredibly in awe of Your greatness.

You have filled my life with countless blessings, but in this very moment, I want to thank You for blessing me and my husband with a beautiful wedding two weeks ago. It is a day that we will look back to with immense joy many years from now. A day that is filled with warm hugs, smiles, laughter, and so much love from our families and loved ones. Every little thing that transpired on that day made my heart unbelievably happy. So much that I want to bottle up every little bit of memory from that beautiful day. Thank You for making our wedding day an ultimate testament that You are truly a God of answered prayers.

About three years ago, getting married seemed to be the most unlikely thing that could happen to me. As for Erick, he was broken and was dealing with complicated problems of his own. But You turned things around for us. You turned our lives around. You showed us that all the struggles and pain that we had to go through in the past is in fact leading us to Your grand plan for us. Thank You for holding my hand ever so tightly. Thank You for doing everything for me to keep my faith in You. It was all worth it.

Our wedding planning journey was not a walk in the park. We were faced with challenges in searching for suppliers, scheduling, decision making, finances, church requirements, differences in opinions/preferences, and many other things. All of those we were able to overcome because You have been with us every step of the way. One important lesson that I’ve learned is to pray, pray, and PRAY for every decision that has to be made for the wedding. We are certain that You have given Your seal of approval to all the suppliers we booked because all of them performed well beyond our expectations. And for this, we are very grateful. You even took care of the small details that made our wedding perfect in every way. I can’t find the words to accurately describe the extent of Your love and generosity.

Thank You for blessing me with so much more than what I could have ever imagined, and so much more than what I could ever deserve. I pray, Lord, that you’d use me and my husband according to Your will and purpose. Use us as instruments in proclaiming Your love and greatness that we may bring back the glory and honor unto You.

Love,
Gela

Grateful Soon-to-be Bride

Erick and I have been blessed with wingless angels since we announced our engagement. We are very, very grateful to be showered with their love, generosity and kindness. For every question such as “What can we do to help you?” and “What else do you need?”. For every expression of excitement and anticipation. For every initiative to make things as easy as possible for us. For every question of concern, asking if I am stressed or about to freak out or if I am already on the verge of having a panic attack (haha). For every advice and word of wisdom on married life. For every question if we’re planning to have a baby immediately after the wedding (Thank you guys for being just as excited as we are!). For the unexpected financial blessings. For every prayer, rosary, and novena offered for us. We are grateful beyond words. Erick and I can feel God’s love radiate through these amazing people.

Truth be told, the only real wedding-related stress that I’ve experienced so far is over my lost confirmation certificate. And I practically didn’t have to do anything about it because my Ninang Debbie took the initiative to do what was needed. We have thirty days left before our big day, and only God knows how these days will transpire. With the help of my ever-reliable Maid of Honor and my Ninang Debbie, Erick and I are doing our best to finish all our pending to-dos. I’m a bit nervous because from counting months, we’re now down to counting weeks. But I am also really very excited. You have no idea. The thought of having the people closest to our hearts celebrate with us makes me wish that November 15 would come sooner. We are lifting up everything to the Lord, at the same time claiming that His will be done for our wedding day as well as for our married life ahead. I am thankful for being blessed with a very flexible personality — that if Plan A doesn’t work, I am open to Plan B, C, D, and so on and so forth. I think this is one of the reasons why I haven’t had any freak-outs thus far :)

I am also thankful for my wonderful soon-to-be husband who is just as hands-on as I am with our wedding preparations. He is involved in every single decision that has to be made. I made sure to get his opinion on everything because, well, it’s his wedding too. Hehehe :)He makes himself available whenever I need to sit down with him and discuss about the nitty-gritty details. If you’ve been reading my posts, you’d know that we have made full use of his awesome artistic and graphic design skills (he designed our save-the-date and will-you-be cards, as well as our invitation).

One thing I am proud of is that this wedding is something we can all our own. You’ll see bits and pieces of our personalities in the details. Everything is a labor of love by me and Erick together with our loving families :)

Our meaningful journey as an engaged couple is about to end, and a more beautiful life awaits us after we exchange vows with God and our loved ones as witnesses. I can’t wait for a lifetime honeymoon with my best friend :)

Much love from the soon-to-be Mr. and Mrs. ♥